Leadership Transition at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)

01 January 2019

Prof Ralf Emmers has been appointed the new Dean of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) with effect from 1 January 2019. He took over the position from Prof Joseph Liow, who was appointed Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences on 1 July last year and had remained as RSIS Dean till 31 December 2018 to help smoothen the leadership transition.
Prof Liow, the outgoing RSIS Dean, has helmed the leadership of the School since 2014. He fostered a strong culture of excellence that has consolidated RSIS’ reputation as one of the top international affairs schools in the region and the go-to place for academic and policy decision-makers in the field. He remains as Professor of Comparative and International Politics in RSIS.
Growing from strength to strength in the dual academic-policy role that it is known for, RSIS enhanced its flagship programmes, launched outstanding new research initiatives, extended its global partnerships and shaped policy discussions on important regional and global issues as a convenor for major events and conferences.
Prof Emmers was Associate Dean of RSIS from 2014 to 2018, and was the covering Dean for two years until July 2016. He concurrently headed the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, and was previously Head of Graduate Studies and the Acting Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at RSIS.
Known for his work in the fields of security studies and international politics, Prof Emmers publishes widely in peer-reviewed journals and is the author and editor of 11 books and monographs, as well as numerous book chapters in edited volumes. He has also co-written a book on security strategies in the Asia-Pacific. He serves on the editorial board of The Pacific Review, a major academic journal.
Prof Emmers was an integral member of the research teams at RSIS that secured major grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and he served as the NTU representative for a project funded by the European Union. In addition to competitive grants, Prof Emmers has played a key role in helping RSIS secure regular funding from government agencies as well as from the Temasek Foundation International.
Prof Emmers completed his MSc and PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics in 1997 and 2001 respectively. He subsequently joined the Institute of Defence & Strategic Studies, the predecessor of RSIS, as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in 2002 and became a faculty member in 2003.
As the new Dean of RSIS, Prof Emmers will steer the further development of the School so that it continues to attract top talent to its research and educational mission and remain at the forefront of global developments and strategic concerns.
RSIS would like to thank Prof Liow for his contributions and leadership as Dean and welcome Prof Emmers to his new appointment.